Koncocoo

Best Self-Help

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work. GARY CHAPMAN --author, speaker, counselor--has a passion for people and for helping them form lasting relationships.
Reviews
"My wife and I have 2 small children and our house is hard to stay clean because every room feels like a mess. A big part of improving your relationship with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend is to sticking with a date night to make sure you have quality time together. My wife and I have been together for 10 years and got stuck in the rut of an endless routine of doing everything we could for our kids, followed by daily chores and left little time for ourselves. Committing to 1 date night a week has really helped our relationship and improved our communication."
"I was once asked to read this book by the only person in the world I love.....I refused. It's not a good feeling as a man to agree to read a book on relationships because you feel like you're putting everything into the authors hands.....and what if he "doesn't understand" or what if the advice doesn't apply to us.....what if it makes things worse between us because he advises things we don't believe in.....no....I'm not reading that I told her. I thought no matter what we would always figure each other out and we would be ok......I didn't see being asked to read this book , was a cry out from the woman I love hitting a boiling point and her attempt to communicate to me in a different way......the same things she's been trying to for a long time..... Instead of being some guys opinions or......typical shrink talk that in no way could apply to each specific relationship.......I found it to be a book that opens up the mind to the understanding of love.....and how it is not this one universal "language" we all feel we should be the same with.....I once told her...."nobody taught me how to love, I'm growing....learning".....I pleased with her to understand I love her.......we simply didn't have an understanding of how and why we didnt approach love the exact same way as each other.....only makes sense that it should be the same right? I will just end it like this..... last night I took a stretch that I have been doing for over 2 years and I changed it in a slightly different way....... a lot of the pain I normally get daily is gone....... just to put a spotlight on that sentence .....I'm saying that what I had been doing for so long..... trying to cure one of the biggest problems in my life that hadnt been working............that I continued doing........ believing in and depending on.... to be my much needed answer.......It wasn't until I allowed the idea of the same stretch applied in a different way, that I ALLOWED life to be better for me. You have to go into the book with an open mind because if you do it with the mindset of wanting it to say what it is that you want to hear.....then you can never let the life-changing words happen.......you're learning a language as you read...not what's right and wrong but what was being lost in life. Keep in mind this is a book about the language of love so if you think about when you go to school to learn a different language...you are taking the difficult step of taking time there in order to understand.....be able to take what you understand and apply it.....and be able to communicate in a NEEDED way once you learn....AND THEN USE......communicate and UNDERSTAND eachother."
"Every couple should read this BEFORE they begin a relationship!"
"Great book, I read a friends book and decided to purchase it for myself."
"My husband and I read it and I bought a copy to give my parents (they could really use it to understand each other better!)."
"This book will really make you think about things when you read it, especially if you have had relationship problems..."
"contains helpful information and I enjoyed reading through people's testimonies and experiences."
"Really comes to show you why people are the way they are."
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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. This is a masterful, philosophical and practical book that will give readers the wisdom to be able to do just that.” ( Ryan Holiday, New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy ). “Mark’s ability to dig deep and offer amazing, yet counter-intuitive, insight into the challenges of life makes him one of my favorite writers, and this book is his best work yet.” ( Matt Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter ). “An in-your-face guide to living with integrity and finding happiness in sometimes-painful places… This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading.
Reviews
"As someone who has given far too many f***s about far too many things their entire life, this book was exactly the wake up call I needed. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers."
"If you don't have anything substantive to occupy your time, then it's trivial stuff that bothers you: "Your ex-boyfriend’s new Facebook picture, how quickly the batteries die in the TV remote, missing out on yet another two-for-one sale on hand sanitizer—chances are you don’t have much going on in your life..." Mark suggests just picking a few big things--values and people that reflect your values: "What I’m talking about here is essentially learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values." On a serious note, the author relates a horrific experience from his youth, when a drunken friend took a dare, jumped into a lake and drowned. This tragedy led to a determination to change the direction of his life, and figure out what is most important: "Oddly, it was someone else’s death that gave me permission to finally live. The author refers often to a book, "The Denial of Death," (which became a Pulitzer Prize winner.). In serious, heartfelt chapters, the author reflects on human existence, and our search for meaning in life."
"Some of the main themes are these: (1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things"). (2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself. (3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems. (4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships. (5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to. (6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action. (7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live. The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing."
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The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations
World renowned authors and teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hahn, Marianne Williamson and Wayne Dyer, explain our complex relationship with the ego and the healing powers of love and connection; and award-winning and bestselling writers like Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Elizabeth Lesser explore the beauty of forgiveness and spirituality.
Reviews
"They have exactly the same content, but one book is luxurious with a linen cover, thick paper, incredible colors and is a gorgeous book. (see photo) I'm returning that book and might suggest you purchase this at a local bookstore where you can check the quality of the book before buying it."
"In these interviews, she recalls moments when these renowned thought-leaders and visionaries expressed deep, compelling acuity on how they stay inspired by looking inward, in order to continue in their journey of truthful discernment. In a surprising sensory delight, the book also emits a sweet, antique smell that has hints of clean, fresh cut wood mixed with vanilla. I am not sure if this was intentional by the publisher and Oprah, but it was a delightful surprise to my nose when I removed the book from the packaging, and each time I turned the page. Planted within gorgeous, vibrant photography that showcase images of nature and the great outdoors, the anecdotes and insights are offered in a calm conversational tone and style. After reading the first chapter alone, titled "Awakening," I feel warm and at home, as if an old friend just visited and gave me a hug while smiling brightly."
"What I am also finding interesting is how folks from different walks of life, from Rob Bell to Michael Singer to Deepak Chopra, offer unique perspectives while being so aligned. Now, for cord cutters and whatever the hell I am, we get more of a glimpse into our potential for an expanded and more open perspective...and dare I say a bit more inner peace for ourselves and compassion for others."
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Best Abuse Self-Help

The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence
In this empowering book, Gavin de Becker, the man Oprah Winfrey calls the nation's leading expert on violent behavior, shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger—before it's too late. Shattering the myth that most violent acts are unpredictable, de Becker, whose clients include top Hollywood stars and government agencies, offers specific ways to protect yourself and those you love, including...how to act when approached by a stranger...when you should fear someone close to you...what to do if you are being stalked...how to uncover the source of anonymous threats or phone calls...the biggest mistake you can make with a threatening person...and more. Author Gavin de Becker says victims of violent behavior usually feel a sense of fear before any threat or violence takes place. A leading expert on predicting violent behavior, de Becker believes we can all learn to recognize these signals of the "universal code of violence," and use them as tools to help us survive. The book teaches how to identify the warning signals of a potential attacker and recommends strategies for dealing with the problem before it becomes life threatening. People don't just "snap" and become violent, says de Becker, whose clients include federal government agencies, celebrities, police departments, and shelters for battered women. Gavin de Becker : Your question contains much of the answer: today’s world, "where terror and tragedy seem omnipresent..." The key word is "seem." When TV news coverage presents so much on these topics, it elevates the perception of terrorism and tragedy way beyond the reality. In every major city, TV news creates forty hours of original production every day, most of it composed and presented to get our attention with fear. Question: Your bestselling book The Gift of Fear gives many examples to help readers recognize what you call pre-incident indicators (PINS) of violence. If intuition is used by a woman to explain some choice she made or a concern she can’t let go of, men roll their eyes and write it off. We much prefer logic, the grounded, explainable, unemotional thought process that ends in a supportable conclusion.
Reviews
"As research has shown, what we call women's intuition is in reality the fact that women, on average, are far better at picking up nonverbal cues than men. fMRI scans reveal women use 14-16 regions of their brains during communication, while men only 4-6 areas (most women probably would dispute giving us that much credit-:). In modern society, in the interest of being "polite", we often suppress our natural intuition, our gut feelings. One of my great fears has to do with my beautiful wife's suppression of her natural intuition around strangers, in the interest of being polite and non-judgemental. Gavin de Becker's loud message to women, Trust your gut, Don't suppress your intuition, Don't worry about hurting some stranger's feelings is a powerful one."
"Titled "Survival Signals" this chapter will teach you the sophisticated manipulations that criminal predators use to try and gain control over you. There is much more detail in this chapter, and I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to recognize these "interviewing techniques" that criminal predators use."
"I would recommend this book to everyone who knows a human being that they feel 'weird' about."
"This opens yourself up to using all of your innate tools that you can use to safeguard yourself, from abusive relationships, to stranger attacks, to workplace violence."
"I believe this book should be required reading in our schools."
"Great book!"
"This information is wonderful for both males and females; although, I think. women would get the most out of this book."
"Gavin de Becker not only shares the wisdom he has gained through his work, but also his experiences."
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Best Anger Management Self Help

The Verbally Abusive Relationship, Expanded Third Edition: How to recognize it and how to respond
In this fully expanded and updated third edition of the bestselling classic, you learn why verbal abuse is more widespread than ever, and how you can deal with it. Patricia Evans is the bestselling author of four books, including The Verbally Abusive Relationship, Verbal Abuse Survivors Speak Out, Controlling People , and The Verbally Abusive Man: Can He Change?
Reviews
"The information, however, was just so irrefutable, so undeniably true, it was far too painful for me to fully realize and assimilate at the time. Sixteen months after leaving him, I picked the book off the closet shelf and re-read it, this time noticing many more abusive characteristics of his and experiences I went through in the past. This was a tremendous revelation to me, as I had unconsciously hidden and "forgotten" even the physical assault that occurred early in the marriage. I thought that verbal abuse was mainly name calling and hurling outright insults. He would often criticize men and women on TV, their physical faults, mouth too large, crooked nose, too fat, too thin, etc. One of the most painful and damaging aspects of his abusive ways was his obvious delight in seeing my hurt responses to his insidiously cruel remarks... the smirk, the laugh, the hate-filled look. I was dressed only in my indoor clothing, and frantically knocked on the doors and windows for him to let me inside. Shortly afterwards, when our son and his wife and children were visiting, he recounted his story, about my locking myself out of the house. I was a loving and attentive wife to him, and was faithful to him throughout our marriage, working very hard in raising our children, cooking good nutritious meals and maintaining the home and businesses we owned. Family, business associates, friends at church... they were completely oblivious to his abusive ways. Several years ago, I finally mentioned his physical abuse to a new counsellor. The counsellor suggested I close my eyes and pretend I was on a beach somewhere with my abusive husband. The author mentions the description of the Covert Abuser as "also being angry and hostile. The author also describes Denial as being "one of the most insidious categories of verbal abuse because it denies the reality of the partner." Another illustration of his type of abuse: Several years ago, he and I were having lunch at a restaurant. In the months before leaving, I had tried to talk with him, asking him to offer a heartfelt apology and seek help."
"The author does an OUTSTANDING job picking apart the confusing, tangled web that chronic verbal abuse creates. My 3 star rating stems from the last quarter of the book, in which the author discusses how one ought to respond to the verbal abuse once she's recognized it: "Stop it! Apparently, she recommends that approach as kind of a way to test the severity of the problem: answering back in this way might surprise the abusive partner into "snapping out of it". Another suggestion the author makes is to tape record the abusive partner, the idea being that if he/she objects, he/she knows that what they are doing is wrong. There is an undeniable liklihood that to an angry and controlling partner, any or all of the above responses will be viewed as complete outrageous defiance."
"Patricia is one of the bravest, boldest people of our time giving both voice to the silenced, and understanding and hope to the oppressor."
"You gain so much knowledge of the layers in verbally abusive relationships."
"This is a book for every person who wants to have better understanding of human connections."
"This book helps you get a good handle on some aspects of insidiously controlling people."
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Best Anxieties & Phobias

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
Written by a leading expert in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and a classic in its field, this fully revised edition offers powerful, step-by-step treatment strategies for panic disorders, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), worry, and fear. Whether you suffer from anxiety and phobias yourself, or are a professional working with this population, this book will provide the latest treatment solutions for overcoming the fears that stand in the way of living a full, happy life. I highly recommend this classic resource to anyone suffering with anxiety or a phobia.”. — Michael A. Tompkins, PhD , author of Anxiety and Avoidance and codirector of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy. “Edmund J. Bourne’s book is chock-full of tested ideas and exercises that practically anyone who suffers from anxieties and fears can put to immediate use to get relief from anxiety and prevent it from coming back.”. — Bill Knaus, EdD , author of The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression and The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety. Comprehensive in every way, it is a one-stop shop for persons with anxiety, and an invaluable and unparalleled resource for clinicians working with them.”. — Timothy A. Sisemore, PhD , director of research and professor of counseling and psychology at Richmont Graduate University and author of Free from OCD “In this updated version of a classic, Edmund J. Bourne guides us carefully through a wealth of information on anxiety, anxiety disorders, and phobias.
Reviews
"I want to tell anyone that is currently struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, phobias, or ocd issues that there is a way to recover and take back your life and this book is the vehicle to get you there. When I started reading the book I was completely agoraphobic, depressed, constantly anxious, and having panic attacks to the point I felt like I couldn't go on any longer. This book really attacks your issues at every angle possible, from eating the correct foods, to relaxation methods, and tips to stop panic attacks just to name a few."
"I am 32 years old and after a miscarriage in December I was recently diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and agoraphobia (due to a major hormonal inbalance, I believe)."
"I love this book!"
"It truly did help me understand anxiety and methods for suppressing it."
"Going for a 20-minute run every day has been helping me more than Zoloft (there's a great section on the book about the importance of exercise)."
"I got passed the panic attacks through therapy but the low level anxiety persisted."
"Very well written and full of thoughtful and practical methods to help those suffering from anxiety."
"The other 10% was helpful in giving me some things to think about, but it's frustrating and honestly alienating to read through a book that is supposed to help you, and see that none of it is really relevant to your issues."
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Best Art Therapy & Relaxation

Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal
With questions that are sometimes provocative (“On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you?”), occasionally quirky (“What can you smell right now?”), and inevitably interesting (“If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?”), this classically designed journal—embellished with beautiful details—is the perfect gift for anyone embarking on a new phase of life. Potter Style , an imprint of the Crown Publishing group, is a high-end gift book and stationery line, specializing in lifestyle, design, art, fashion, humor, and DIY.
Reviews
"However, you will get that with any journal that is attempting to come up with 365 unique questions. So it is overall a good little journal."
"But seeing those realities scattered throughout the journal is helping me realize what I can control and what I can't. Yes, there are some silly questions in here and some that don't lead to greater self-awareness or life-changing epiphanies, but I appreciated the variety, because I think I would have found it difficult to answer a deep or self-analytical question every single day."
"This journal asks a question a day that can be simple or profound depending on your thinking at the time. The format is such that you can start it on any day of the year...no need to wait for New Year's."
"This book arrived with many bent pages and fairly dusty."
"I thought that this would be a great gift for him to look back on his life over the years and see how much he has grown and changed."
"I've always loved Journaling but, I am not always good at keeping up with it."
"A little smaller then I was hoping, but the size does make it portable so if I'm traveling it won't be such a hassel to take with me ."
"I LOVE this book and look forward to writing in it each day but a few things could make this book even more awesome. You don't always think much about what TV show you are watching but 5 years from now it'll be interesting to see."
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Best Communication & Social Skills

How To Win Friends and Influence People
-Six ways to make people like you. -Twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking. Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) described himself as a "simple country boy" from Missouri but was also a pioneer of the self-improvement genre.
Reviews
"The realization that my marriage was being effected by my nearly empty toolbox of social skills promoted me to take personal responsibility and shoulder the blame myself for once instead of blaming everyone around me for everything. I grew up with a hypercritical Mother so I think I had promised myself that I would never be criticized again, even if that meant writing people off the instant I felt like I had made myself vulnerable enough to be hurt by them. The strategies are applicable to and helpful in all aspects of my life so far, from my marriage to my job, and even to the way I interact with clerks in gas stations."
"I did think several of the principles explained in the book are common sense, but I found that it could be easy for a person to react quickly to conflicts. The first principle emphasizes the importance of avoiding criticism and he describes working with people as: working with people of logic. With this principle, he describes the importance of self-expression and connects it to the importance of thinking in terms of the other person, so that they come up with your ideas on their own, which they will like more. Dale then describes the importance to recall a person's name in the third principle. He further explains this point in principle five: Talk in terms of the other person's interests. Dale describes in the third part of the book the steps to have a person think in terms of your own thoughts. He then explains the importance of agreement and having the person say "yes," at least twice. If all else fails, he explains the importance of competition and how it drives people to feel important and empowered to work efficiently and effectively. He then explains the importance of asking questions that direct the person you’re speaking to, to obtain your idea on their own. He emphasizes the importance of having the person be saved from embarrassment, and then explains the importance of praise again, even if it is small."
"Don't wish you had already read this in the future when you can read it NOW."
"It's funny how long ago this book was written yet the fundamental truths of human interactions haven't changed for thousands of years."
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Best Creativity

Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal
With questions that are sometimes provocative (“On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you?”), occasionally quirky (“What can you smell right now?”), and inevitably interesting (“If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?”), this classically designed journal—embellished with beautiful details—is the perfect gift for anyone embarking on a new phase of life. Potter Style , an imprint of the Crown Publishing group, is a high-end gift book and stationery line, specializing in lifestyle, design, art, fashion, humor, and DIY.
Reviews
"However, you will get that with any journal that is attempting to come up with 365 unique questions. So it is overall a good little journal."
"But seeing those realities scattered throughout the journal is helping me realize what I can control and what I can't. Yes, there are some silly questions in here and some that don't lead to greater self-awareness or life-changing epiphanies, but I appreciated the variety, because I think I would have found it difficult to answer a deep or self-analytical question every single day."
"This book arrived with many bent pages and fairly dusty."
"I've always loved Journaling but, I am not always good at keeping up with it."
"A little smaller then I was hoping, but the size does make it portable so if I'm traveling it won't be such a hassel to take with me ."
"I LOVE this book and look forward to writing in it each day but a few things could make this book even more awesome. You don't always think much about what TV show you are watching but 5 years from now it'll be interesting to see."
"I love writing down simple thing every day and comparing how my life changes or doesn't changes over the course of time."
"Just got this yesterday and did my first entry."
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Best Death & Grief

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post , The New York Times Book Review , NPR, and Chicago Tribune, now in paperback with a new reading group guide. May it be widely read and inwardly digested.” ― Diana Athill, Financial Times (UK). “ Being Mortal , Atul Gawande's masterful exploration of aging, death, and the medical profession's mishandling of both, is his best and most personal book yet.” ― Boston Globe. “American medicine, Being Mortal reminds us, has prepared itself for life but not for death. combining his years of experience as a surgeon with his gift for fluid, seemingly effortless storytelling . In Being Mortal , he turns his attention to his most important subject yet.” ― Chicago Tribune. “A deeply affecting, urgently important book--one not just about dying and the limits of medicine but about living to the last with autonomy, dignity, and joy.” ― Katherine Boo. Gawande's book is not of the kind that some doctors write, reminding us how grim the fact of death can be. Rather, he shows how patients in the terminal phase of their illness can maintain important qualities of life.” ― Wall Street Journal. “ Being Mortal left me tearful, angry, and unable to stop talking about it for a week. A surgeon himself, Gawande is eloquent about the inadequacy of medical school in preparing doctors to confront the subject of death with their patients. Only a precious few books have the power to open our eyes while they move us to tears. One hopes it is the spark that ignites some revolutionary changes in a field of medicine that ultimately touches each of us.” ― Shelf Awareness. “A needed call to action, a cautionary tale of what can go wrong, and often does, when a society fails to engage in a sustained discussion about aging and dying.” ― San Francisco Chronicle.
Reviews
"People of any age want the right to lock their doors, set the temperature they want, dress how they like, eat what they want, admit visitors only when they're in the mood. Yet, nursing homes (and even assisted living communities) are geared toward making these decisions for people in order to keep them safe, gain government funds, and ensure a routine for the facility. In addition, Dr. Gawande shows how end-of-life physical conditions are most often treated as medical crises needing to be "fixed," instead of managed for quality of life when treatment has become futile. He tells a great story of a doctor who convinced a nursing home to bring in two dogs, four cats and one hundred birds!"
"In reading many of his previous books I found he always asked questions: Why do we do things; for what purpose; is this working to achieve the best results for the patient in his physical and cultural circumstance? In speaking of elder care he sadly points out that "Our reluctance to honestly examine the experience of aging and dying has increased the harm and suffering we inflict on people and has denied them the basic comforts they need most". He looks at the "Dying Role" as the end approaches describing it as the patient's ability to "share memories, pass on wisdom and keepsakes, settle relationships, establish legacies and make peace with their God. Gawande shares his deep seated feelings in this book by revealing personal vignettes of how friends and family coped with these powerful and challenging issues."
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Best Emotional Self Help

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
Now, this bestselling classic includes fresh insights and suggestions as well as the author’s time-tested methods to solve common problems and build foundations for lasting relationships, including innovative ways to: · Cope with your child's negative feelings, such as frustration, anger, and disappointment. · Express your strong feelings without being hurtful. · Engage your child's willing cooperation. · Set firm limits and maintain goodwill. · Use alternatives to punishment that promote self-discipline. · Understand the difference between helpful and unhelpful praise. · Resolve family conflicts peacefully. “An exceptional work, not simply just another ‘how to’ book…All parents can use these methods to improve the everyday quality of t heir relationships with their children.” – Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Reviews
"It's hard to believe but if you read each chapter and do the exercises (for practice) and then try it out on your kids (or in my case, my kindergarten aged niece) -- it actually works! Here's an example: my niece was having a WWIII type of tantrum one day because her candy cane had broken in half. Her parents, older sister, grandma, everyone was telling her that it was no big deal, she can have another candy cane, it will still taste just the same, etc., anything to get her to see reason and calm down. Her mother started shouting threats to send her to her room."
"This author's teaching mentor is same as mine, Dr. Haim G. Ginoit, I knew I needed to read this."
"If they don't start picking up you can say "I'm going to trip over these toys if they are left on the floor"."
"Just finished this, for the second time (I needed a refresher, my daughter told me!)."
"The book was a helpful and enjoyable read for this babysitting grandmother."
"I was not excited about reading it, but my book club started a secondary "parents" book club and this was the first book selected."
"The tools, or "skills," outlined in this book are not by any means an easy fix for whatever problems you're facing."
"Whenever I lose my patients and feel on edge with my kids."
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Best Handwriting Analysis Self-Help

Handwriting Analysis : Putting It to Work for You
Having sold over 120,000 copies, Handwriting Analysis has been revised and expanded to include a new chapter on analyzing doodles. Handwriting analysis, or graphology, was once sneeringly labeled a pseudoscience but is now gaining acceptance as a useful diagnostic tool in business, criminology, medicine, and psychology. This is an excellent introduction to graphology, a great party game, and an incentive to type all correspondence!-- Evelyn L. Mott, Palm Beach Cty.
Reviews
"This was the best book purchase I made because it started a conversation with a gentleman that was a handwriting analysis agent for the US Government all of his working life."
"I bought this for my teen daughter for her birthday just for fun and she loves it!"
"I feel confident when I analyze handwriting now.This book makes you can't help but to analyze handwriting everywhere you go."
"I bought it as a local professional had told me that he used handwriting analysis for hiring employees over his long career and had great success with this method."
"loving this so far."
"Great book."
"Explicit examples of what can be read about handwriting."
"This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in graphology."
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Best Hypnosis Self-Help

Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives
A pioneer in uncovering the secrets of life, internationally recognized spiritual hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton takes you once again into the heart of the spirit world. Newton also takes on malevolent spirits; arguing that demons and the devil do not exist, he reports that after working with him, clients who initially thought they were possessed by a "malevolent spirit" usually realize they have miscommunicated with a benevolent spirit who was trying to reach them.
Reviews
"As I read more, the interview method in the book seemed repetitive; the stories and descriptions had too much alignment with references to spatial/method classrooms here on earthly plane."
"This book is the most enlightening book I have read in ages."
"If he still books sessions, and this stuff interests you, I HIGHLY recommend you make an appointment NOW!"
"And a lot of the book made him think real hard."
"This is ground breaking research that answers questions about us as human beings."
"My own personal pathway is to help others find their souls pathway and as such this book will offer guidance and perspective to those seeking to understand their individual journey."
"I read the first book but really liked this one better because it did answer a lot of the questions from the first one and it was written in such a thoughtful manner - whereas the first one seemed more about just getting the information out."
"The case studies are interesting and help answer some questions for life’s purpose."
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Best Inner Child Self-Help

Affirmators! 50 Affirmation Cards to Help You Help Yourself - without the Self-Helpy-Ness!
Providing the fun of a horoscope with a little less woo-woo, and full of positive affirmations, this whimsical box will help you help yourself, no shamanistic consult required! Other TV credits include "Drunk History," "@Midnight," "How I Met Your Mother," and a few million commercials for everything from Progressive (car insurance) to Esurance (also car insurance).
Reviews
"I brought these to work to hand to coworkers."
"These cards make me smile."
"Colorful, admirable, truly an uplifting gift to myself!"
"Everyone loves these!"
"Really fun, my inner child loves them.!"
"I love love love these cards!"
"These are hilarious!"
"A great gift for somebody needing advice or positivity in their life!!"
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Best Journal Writing Self-Help

Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal
With questions that are sometimes provocative (“On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you?”), occasionally quirky (“What can you smell right now?”), and inevitably interesting (“If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?”), this classically designed journal—embellished with beautiful details—is the perfect gift for anyone embarking on a new phase of life. Potter Style , an imprint of the Crown Publishing group, is a high-end gift book and stationery line, specializing in lifestyle, design, art, fashion, humor, and DIY.
Reviews
"However, you will get that with any journal that is attempting to come up with 365 unique questions. So it is overall a good little journal."
"But seeing those realities scattered throughout the journal is helping me realize what I can control and what I can't. Yes, there are some silly questions in here and some that don't lead to greater self-awareness or life-changing epiphanies, but I appreciated the variety, because I think I would have found it difficult to answer a deep or self-analytical question every single day."
"This book arrived with many bent pages and fairly dusty."
"I've always loved Journaling but, I am not always good at keeping up with it."
"A little smaller then I was hoping, but the size does make it portable so if I'm traveling it won't be such a hassel to take with me ."
"I LOVE this book and look forward to writing in it each day but a few things could make this book even more awesome. You don't always think much about what TV show you are watching but 5 years from now it'll be interesting to see."
"I love writing down simple thing every day and comparing how my life changes or doesn't changes over the course of time."
"Just got this yesterday and did my first entry."
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Best Memory Improvement Self-Help

Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most
Keeping your brain healthy isn’t just a medical issue; it’s a God-given capacity and an essential building block for physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Reviews
"I can't think of a more important book for supercharging your brain and making sure that you capture and remember all of your successes, family moments, and life experiences."
"As far as the strategies outlined, they range from easily changed habits to full brain scan analysis, so no matter your capabilities or financial situation, you'll find at ton of strategies to implement into your life to make your brain better, and your life better."
"important and comprehensive book written by one of the best specialists in the work of improving our knowledge and care of our brains."
"excellent information of everyone living with or heading to old age...."
"Very interesting information."
"I'm 52 and have started thinking about my health as I move into more challenging years."
"There is so much information that I never thought about in this book that can certainly help not only my husband but myself as well."
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Best Mid-Life Management

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond
In It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again, she turns her eye to a segment of the population that, ironically, while they have more time to be creative, are often reluctant or intimidated by the creative process. She tells the inspiring stories of retirees who discovered new artistic pursuits and passions that more than filled their days—they nurtured their souls. This fun, gentle, step-by-step process will help you explore your creative dreams, wishes, and desires...and help you quickly find that it’s never too late to begin again. Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than three decades.
Reviews
"The 12-week summer might be a great time to do this course, or fall when school is in the air, or January when you're thinking about doing something different in the New Year. Cameron writes her purpose for this book is to give readers a set of tools to "trigger creative rebirth". Cameron reminds us that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her first children's book "Little House in the Big Woods" when she was 64. Some of the wisdom gleaned from this book: * You shake the apple tree and the universe delivers oranges. This book teaches the creative principles to bring these more into your life through activities, questions to ponder and answer, wisdom and examples of others."
"Then, to my amazement, the description of this book smacked me in the face and gave me the inspiration to read it. Julia Cameron and Emma Lively have a very valuable goldmine here if people who are in need of beginning again, who may feel timid or don't know how to start, can read this. I did some of the exciting homework, like walking 20 minutes and letting your mind wander, journaling first thing in the morning, and answering questions about certain periods in your life. Thank you,Julia Cameron, Emma Lively, PENGUIN GROUP TarcherPerigee, and Netflix for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review."
"After 8 weeks, I'm putting it on the shelf to await my future retirement."
"This book is very much like the Artist Way."
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Best Motivational Self-Help

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. This is a masterful, philosophical and practical book that will give readers the wisdom to be able to do just that.” ( Ryan Holiday, New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy ). “Mark’s ability to dig deep and offer amazing, yet counter-intuitive, insight into the challenges of life makes him one of my favorite writers, and this book is his best work yet.” ( Matt Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter ). “An in-your-face guide to living with integrity and finding happiness in sometimes-painful places… This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading.
Reviews
"As someone who has given far too many f***s about far too many things their entire life, this book was exactly the wake up call I needed. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers."
"If you don't have anything substantive to occupy your time, then it's trivial stuff that bothers you: "Your ex-boyfriend’s new Facebook picture, how quickly the batteries die in the TV remote, missing out on yet another two-for-one sale on hand sanitizer—chances are you don’t have much going on in your life..." Mark suggests just picking a few big things--values and people that reflect your values: "What I’m talking about here is essentially learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values." On a serious note, the author relates a horrific experience from his youth, when a drunken friend took a dare, jumped into a lake and drowned. This tragedy led to a determination to change the direction of his life, and figure out what is most important: "Oddly, it was someone else’s death that gave me permission to finally live. The author refers often to a book, "The Denial of Death," (which became a Pulitzer Prize winner.). In serious, heartfelt chapters, the author reflects on human existence, and our search for meaning in life."
"Some of the main themes are these: (1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things"). (2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself. (3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems. (4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships. (5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to. (6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action. (7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live. The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing."
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Best Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and be More Productive
And You're About to Learn How to Use His Memory Strategies to Learn Faster, Be More Productive and Achieve More Success Most people never tap into 10% of their potential for memory. In Unlimited Memory, you'll learn how the world's best memory masters get themselves to concentrate at will, anytime they want. The 3 bad habits that keep you from easily remembering important information How a simple pattern of thinking can stop you from imprinting and remembering key facts, figures and ideas, and how to break this old pattern so you’ll never again be known as someone with a “bad memory” How to master your attention so you can focus and concentrate longer, even during challenging or stressful situations How to use your car to remember anything you want (like long lists or information you need to remember for your studies or personal life) without writing anything down Simple methods that allow you to nail down tough information or complex concepts quickly and easily How to combine your long-term memory (things you already know and will never forget) and short-term memory (information you want to remember right now) to create instant recall for tests, presentations and important projects The simple, invisible mental technique for remembering names without social awkwardness or anxiety How using your imagination to bring boring information to life can help you dramatically improve your attention span and recall An incredible strategy for remembering numbers (the same system Kevin used to remember Pi to 10,000 digits and beat the world memory record by 14 minutes) How to use a mental map to lock in and connect hundreds or even thousands of ideas in your long-term memory (this method will allow you to become a leading expert in your field faster than you ever dreamed possible). His work has been featured in The Oprah Magazine, Time, Forbes, Inc., The Huffington Post, ELLE, Longevity and on numerous TV and radio shows.
Reviews
"Many college students seem shockingly ok with forgetting half of what they spent so much money to learn, I for one spent the money to know and remember what I have been taught."
"He does not sugar coat the need for initial effort spent learning the systems, and does not belabor the obvious need & benefits of practice. AFTER finishing this book a little extra reading in the subject area, proved that without using the more commonly recognized terms, Mr. Horsley covered many areas of value including the "Major System" for handling the memorization of numbers based on a method of translating numbers into sounds. We all learn differently, & for this reason Mr. Horsley's book is a decent springboard from which to launch oneself into the act of mental improvement. The words created by the system he introduces in Chapter 12, can be used to create "Peg words" that upon creation are automatically organised in order."
"He also shows you/helps with examples on how you can use what you have learned earlier in the book to jump right in with both feet and start and work to improve your memory right way."
"I am definitely starting a DAILY memory skills training routine and will forever be grateful for stumbling upon this excellent piece of literature."
"The author makes it very clear that in order to change your same old dull routine, do something different."
"Love the narrator's voice."
"- I enjoyed the examples provided in each chapter to review the memory skills/techniques listed."
"great book for self development."
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Best Personal Transformation Self-Help

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)
In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. She is the co-author, with don Miguel Ruiz, of six books in The Toltec Wisdom Series , creator of “The Four Agreements for a Better Life” online course, and editor of Deepak Chopra’s bestselling title, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success .
Reviews
"I am an undergrad student of philosophy and linguistics, a branch of the humanities. I also deeply love this series of books because of its obviousness and simplicity. There is a huge tradition of skepticism in linguistics, especially about how language is used in various cultures to create belief systems. A belief system is basically a set of instructions inside your brain based on language. These instructions help you navigate the stressful world around you so you can survive. We are psychologically wired to think our belief systems are accurate and experience deep stress if we find them to be inaccurate. You may not be surprised to find out that philosophy majors have not come up with answers to these questions because there is always a case where we are going to be wrong or have a counter argument. Much of the study of philosophy is the collection of vocabulary words to describe beliefs. They even have a mathematical component called propositional logic, where one takes sentences and reduces them to symbols and creates "proofs" but even prop-logic is under fire from academics for its complete inability to predict anything. I believe Miguel Ruiz must have taken a linguistics course as well--as his first agreement attests to the power of language. Both Saussure and Derrida (and many, many others) did work on how we form ideas in our heads based on language. The gist is this: we have something called a "symbol" in our brain which is composed of two parts: the word and the visual representation of the object (look up semiotics for further detail). These symbols are in our mind and work together to form meaning, then belief. If you really want a deeper understanding on how linguistics has saturated our belief systems I recommend reading some of their academic essays or get Rivkin and Ryan's literary theory books. To simplify: scientists and academics in the millions have tried and tried and tried to find "the true belief" for thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years and we have not yet arrived at any truth. The need to be right is so ingrained within us that we create a huge drama when someone contradicts our beliefs. - I take all gurus, religions, indictments and gossip with quite a high level of benevolent skepticism, which allows me to be free from the fear that goes along with these stories."
"Both are based on the philosophy of the Toltec, ancient people of southern Mexico who were known as women and men of knowledge. The author at times anticipates such problems on the part of the reader, and is indeed accurate in that regard. The Toltecs were not a race or tribe, or nation, but scientists and artists formed to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the “ancient ones”. The Toltec recognize that some 3000 years ago a human studying to be a medicine man woke to the realization that everything is made of light and that all that exists is one living being, and that light is the messenger of life because it is alive and contains all information. As children we believe what adults say, especially our parents, and our world becomes a dream, a reality built on symbols from others, not the silent feelings and observations that we experienced as infants. We live in a dream ruled by fear and filled with emotions of anger, jealousy, envy and hate. To escape our dream of hell, we must break the old agreements that are fear based and reclaim our personal power. The author suggests four basic agreements that you must make with yourself to reclaim your own power and find a heaven on earth, a life of joy and fulfillment. He feels that a sin is anything that goes against yourself, and being impeccable is not gong against yourself, taking responsibility for your actions, but not judging or blaming. He feels that gossip is the worst form of black magic, for it is judgmental language about others, even those we do not know. He gives the simple example of a child being told by her mother to shut up her singing because her voice was “ugly”. These are the type of agreements that we make in life that are harmful and destructive, that lead us into our dream of hell. And as you use such words, first by expressing love for yourself, you break all the many agreements that make you suffer, and begin to build your own dream of heaven on earth. Couldn’t someone’s anger be about us if our word was less than impeccable, but instead filled with the black magic mentioned by the author? I raise these questions in my mind because at times, as I read through this, it sounds as if one can “get a pass” for less than sterling behavior because he need not take others reactions personally. (True sadness from the passing of a child or similar “objective” tragedy is hard to relate to assumptions or taking things personally) I have found that people often assume my meaning, and sometimes take offense at something that was never intended to harm. I don’t know exactly why we are afraid to ask for clarification, maybe it roots back to those days when we were reluctant to ask questions in school. I think these two agreements about taking things personally and making assumptions are really part of a self centeredness that “it is all about me”. In fact it is really important to realize that it isn’t always about you, especially when the assumptions made generally do assume so and lead to taking things personally. Not making assumptions would seem to be one of the easier agreements to live up to, as it only involves a little bit of inquiry. I see his book as being primarily focused on reaching an internal contentment and happiness, not on navigating one’s way through the world at large. I just find a bit of a contrast between the focus of this work and something like “Falling Upward” by Richard Rohr where he acknowledges the need to survive in the competitive world as a means of gaining some level of confidence before, in the second half of life, we are able to discard much of the baggage of the first half and seek out a more personal and spiritual contentment. All see Western culture as imposing and espousing a very competitive, win/loose guilt ridden mentality. Such mentality may or may not be necessary for the struggles that we face, but, all my readings seem to agree that at some point our thoughts need to focus on attaining a more peaceful and inclusive level of spiritual contentment. By merely listening you show respect for the other person’s dream, for the reality he or she has created. The first Four Agreements taught us that out symbols are not the truth, and that many of these symbols–our entire symbology as he calls it- are lies that lead us to blame and shame and guilt, to a living hell. It is a war against that part of our mind that makes all the choices that guide us into our personal hell. It is that point where we come back to our real state, our divine self, where we fell a communion of love with everything in existence. We experience what he refers to as a resurrection, and it allows us to be wild and free like a child, except that we have freedom with wisdom instead of innocence. These books express a philosophy couched in rather mystical terms–in dreams and symbols, attention and awareness. I think he feels that a concept like goodness is also a truth that is intrinsically recognized and internal, and not a product of a value system that is imposed on us by others. But, at least to me, he doesn’t recognize such conditioning as being a necessary part of that portion of our lives when we must learn to cope in our world. The striking thing, as I read numerous books and other writings, and watch speeches, is the basic consistency in the message of oneness and the need to abandon, at least temporarily, much of what we have “learned” in order to open our minds, or perhaps clear our minds, so that we can receive the gift of interconnectedness."
"The Four Agreements are: - Be Impeccable With Your Words. - Don't Take Anything Personally. - Don't Make Assumptions. - Always Do Your Best. -When he says be Impeccable With Your Word, he means you should always speak,with integrity. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering. - when he says Don't Make Assumptions, he means you must find the the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want."
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Best Healthy Relationships

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work. GARY CHAPMAN --author, speaker, counselor--has a passion for people and for helping them form lasting relationships.
Reviews
"My wife and I have 2 small children and our house is hard to stay clean because every room feels like a mess. A big part of improving your relationship with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend is to sticking with a date night to make sure you have quality time together. My wife and I have been together for 10 years and got stuck in the rut of an endless routine of doing everything we could for our kids, followed by daily chores and left little time for ourselves. Committing to 1 date night a week has really helped our relationship and improved our communication."
"I was once asked to read this book by the only person in the world I love.....I refused. It's not a good feeling as a man to agree to read a book on relationships because you feel like you're putting everything into the authors hands.....and what if he "doesn't understand" or what if the advice doesn't apply to us.....what if it makes things worse between us because he advises things we don't believe in.....no....I'm not reading that I told her. I thought no matter what we would always figure each other out and we would be ok......I didn't see being asked to read this book , was a cry out from the woman I love hitting a boiling point and her attempt to communicate to me in a different way......the same things she's been trying to for a long time..... Instead of being some guys opinions or......typical shrink talk that in no way could apply to each specific relationship.......I found it to be a book that opens up the mind to the understanding of love.....and how it is not this one universal "language" we all feel we should be the same with.....I once told her...."nobody taught me how to love, I'm growing....learning".....I pleased with her to understand I love her.......we simply didn't have an understanding of how and why we didnt approach love the exact same way as each other.....only makes sense that it should be the same right? I will just end it like this..... last night I took a stretch that I have been doing for over 2 years and I changed it in a slightly different way....... a lot of the pain I normally get daily is gone....... just to put a spotlight on that sentence .....I'm saying that what I had been doing for so long..... trying to cure one of the biggest problems in my life that hadnt been working............that I continued doing........ believing in and depending on.... to be my much needed answer.......It wasn't until I allowed the idea of the same stretch applied in a different way, that I ALLOWED life to be better for me. You have to go into the book with an open mind because if you do it with the mindset of wanting it to say what it is that you want to hear.....then you can never let the life-changing words happen.......you're learning a language as you read...not what's right and wrong but what was being lost in life. Keep in mind this is a book about the language of love so if you think about when you go to school to learn a different language...you are taking the difficult step of taking time there in order to understand.....be able to take what you understand and apply it.....and be able to communicate in a NEEDED way once you learn....AND THEN USE......communicate and UNDERSTAND eachother."
"Every couple should read this BEFORE they begin a relationship!"
"Great book, I read a friends book and decided to purchase it for myself."
"My husband and I read it and I bought a copy to give my parents (they could really use it to understand each other better!)."
"This book will really make you think about things when you read it, especially if you have had relationship problems..."
"contains helpful information and I enjoyed reading through people's testimonies and experiences."
"I love this book!"
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Best Self-Esteem

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
From thought leader Dr. Brené Brown, a transformative new vision for the way we lead, love, work, parent, and educate that teaches us the power of vulnerability. Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as standing on the outside of our lives looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to step into the arena—whether it’s a new relationship, an important meeting, the creative process, or a difficult family conversation. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen. “The brilliantly insightful Brené Brown draws upon extensive research and personal experience to explore the paradoxes of courage: we become strong by embracing vulnerability, we dare more greatly when we acknowledge our fear. —Maria Shriver " Daring Greatly is an important book -- a timely warning about the danger of pursuing certainty and control above all. The invitation in this book is clear: We must be larger than anxiety, fear, and shame if we want to speak, act, and show up. The world needs this book and Brené’s unique blend of warmth, humor and ass-kicking makes her the perfect person to inspire us to dare greatly." Brené Brown shines a bright light into these dark recesses of human emotion and reveals how these feelings can gnaw at fulfillment in education, at work and in the home. If you're a student, teacher, parent, employer, employee or just alive and wanting to live more fully, you should read this book. —Sir Ken Robinson "In an age of constant pressure to conform and pretend, Daring Greatly offers a compelling alternative: transform your life by being who you really are. —Michael Bungay Stanier, author of Do More Great Work "I deeply trust Brené Brown--her research, her intelligence, her integrity, and her personhood. So when she definitively lands on the one most important value we can cultivate for professional success, relationship health, parental joy, and courageous, passionate living...well, I sit up and take notice .
Reviews
"Last week I was sitting outside a coffee shop reading a book on my kindle when a youngish guy walked by carrying a coffee and a computer, looking for a place to sit. I promptly went back to my reading but I could feel his eyes boring into me as I anticipated the dreaded question. There's just something about the vast amount of information that I'm pressured to wrap into one or two sentences that completely overwhelms and paralyzes me. Part of me was tempted to lie to youngish guy by replying, "oh, it's just some silly novel." Allowing myself to be vulnerable led Patrick and I into a conversation for the next hour. Patrick, if you're reading this, c'était une joie pour vous rencontrer. This moment of unabashed vulnerability with Patrick was the beginning of a major shift in my life. She reinforces what I've known all along but been afraid of admitting--that vulnerability leads to happiness. Following Brene's advice and expertise garnered through her research and life stories, truly does work. It was the reading of Daring Greatly that prompted me to finally divulge my long kept secret of my history with an eating disorder; which wound up being my highest trafficked blog post of all time. If any of these questions ring true then I hope you'll read this book for yourself."
"In fact, "Vulnerability is the the core, the heart, the center of meaningful human experiences." The main concern of Wholehearted men and women is living a life defined by courage, compassion, and connection. It comes down to this: If we don't embrace vulnerability, we are destined to live a lonely, detached, unfulfilling life. Wholehearted Parenting: Daring to Be the Adults We Want Our Children to Be. - Final Thoughts. - Appendix -- Trust in Emergence: Grounded Theory and My Research Process. - Practicing Gratitude. Daring Greatly doesn't focus on the area of love and relationships, but it offers invaluable tools for deepening our love partnerships. For going deeper into vulnerability in the context of a romantic relationship, check out The Couple's Survival Workbook: What You Can Do To Reconnect With Your Partner and Make Your Marriage Work by Olsen and Stephens. More generally, if you're interested in Browne's concept of Wholehearted living -- the contextual framework of Daring Greatly -- check out The Gifts of Imperfection. It's not altogether easy, but it's deeply relieving to understand that this essential skill is not about simply stepping out under a hail of deadly arrows. It's about leaving behind lonely and fearful self-interest, having courage that deeper connection eagerly awaits us."
"I enjoy this book a lot and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to read it, it’s a book that will change how you see yourself and the rest of the people in the world."
"This a really important book for living well and learning how to tune out the noise of people who pile shame and guilt on others."
"Brene Brown is helping us to repair the fractured way many of us grew up to think and believe, and she does it with humor, empathy and lots of great story telling."
"Absolutely could not get into it."
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Best Sex & Sexuality

Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 20th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, a thoroughly revised and expanded edition of the leading book on fertility and women’s reproductive health. “This beautifully written guide to a woman’s fertility signs is packed with knowledge, wisdom and humor—a must for the bookshelf.” (Co-authors of The New Our Bodies, Ourselves).
Reviews
"Every woman should know exactly how their bodies work and this book def opened my eyes. I also find that charting both bbt and cervical fluid works better than any ovulation app or period tracker. Its also a very helpful tool for your gyno so they can better pinpoint if there is an issue with ttc or another reproductive problem."
"Extremely informative book, good to use as a reference."
"I’m learning so much about my body and can’t stop raving about all the insight!"
"This book is so educational."
"So much great information, presented in a very clear and easy to understand way!"
"The book to get AND read."
"It's a really great book very informative very easy to read very easy to understand I would suggest it for anybody that's either trying to get pregnant or prevent pregnancy the natural way."
"I have LOVED this book."
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Best Spiritual Self-Help

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy. For over three decades the Dalai Lama has maintained an ongoing conversation and collaboration with scientists from a wide range of disciplines, especially through the Mind and Life Institute, an organization that he co-founded. The Dalai Lama travels extensively, promoting kindness and compassion, interfaith understanding, respect for the environment, and, above all, world peace. In 1994, Tutu was appointed chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission by Nelson Mandela, where he pioneered a new way for countries to move forward after experiencing civil conflict and oppression. He is the founder and president of Idea Architects, a creative book and media agency helping visionaries to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world.
Reviews
"The Book of Joy lives up to its title and goes much further."
"Both the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu have risen beyond their respective religions to reach out to all humans regardless of their location."
"The best book that I read in 2016."
"In these controversial times, how wonderful to be offered the chance to sit in on the respectful and insightful dialogue between these two spiritual leaders, who give us all hope that their messages will be spread far and wide."
"The Dalai Lama and Archbishop."
"Wonderful book that we used for our book group."
"The writing is primarily dialog and the Dalai Lama and Bishop Tutu are surprisingly informal and chummy."
"Many wonderful thoughts, gives unique perspectives , as well as reinforces many established perspectives."
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Best Stress Management Self-Help

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Most people are fearful of change, both personal and professional, because they don't have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, Dr. Spencer Johnson, the coauthor of the multimillion bestseller The One Minute Manager, uses a deceptively simple story to show that when it comes to living in a rapidly changing world, what matters most is your attitude. Called “The King of Parables” by USA Today , Dr. Johnson is often referred to as the best there is at taking complex subjects and presenting simple solutions that work. He has won the National Speakers Association’s highest honor, the “Council of Peers Award for Excellence,” and the Golden Gavel from Toastmasters International, and was inducted into the HRD Hall of Fame.
Reviews
"A good chunk of the book discusses how it's a book, and then spends several pages building up the story to make it more of a book."
"I've read this book before, but thought I'd pick it up again almost 8 years later, especially since recent circumstances in my life have caused me to 'sniff the cheese'."
"This book though a little too repetitive talks about change."
"Opens one's eyes to having to be flexible and have a broader perspective in life to move forward."
"Quick read."
"I ready the adult book previously and this is a good book to teach the same concept to kids."
"Great price and perfect reminder of life's predicaments."
"Everyone should read this book."
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Best Success Self-Help

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives. This is a masterful, philosophical and practical book that will give readers the wisdom to be able to do just that.” ( Ryan Holiday, New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy ). “Mark’s ability to dig deep and offer amazing, yet counter-intuitive, insight into the challenges of life makes him one of my favorite writers, and this book is his best work yet.” ( Matt Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter ). “An in-your-face guide to living with integrity and finding happiness in sometimes-painful places… This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading.
Reviews
"As someone who has given far too many f***s about far too many things their entire life, this book was exactly the wake up call I needed. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers."
"If you don't have anything substantive to occupy your time, then it's trivial stuff that bothers you: "Your ex-boyfriend’s new Facebook picture, how quickly the batteries die in the TV remote, missing out on yet another two-for-one sale on hand sanitizer—chances are you don’t have much going on in your life..." Mark suggests just picking a few big things--values and people that reflect your values: "What I’m talking about here is essentially learning how to focus and prioritize your thoughts effectively—how to pick and choose what matters to you and what does not matter to you based on finely honed personal values." On a serious note, the author relates a horrific experience from his youth, when a drunken friend took a dare, jumped into a lake and drowned. This tragedy led to a determination to change the direction of his life, and figure out what is most important: "Oddly, it was someone else’s death that gave me permission to finally live. The author refers often to a book, "The Denial of Death," (which became a Pulitzer Prize winner.). In serious, heartfelt chapters, the author reflects on human existence, and our search for meaning in life."
"Some of the main themes are these: (1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things"). (2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself. (3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems. (4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships. (5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to. (6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action. (7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live. The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing."
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Best Personal Time Management

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. "DEEP WORK accomplishes two considerable tasks: One is putting out a wealth of concrete practices for the ambitious, without relying on gauzy clichés. Cal Newport's exciting new book is an introduction and guide to the kind of intense concentration in a distraction-free environment that results in fast, powerful learning and performance. "DEEP WORK makes a compelling case for cultivating intense focus, and offers immediately actionable steps for infusing more of it into our lives. "Cal Newport is a clear voice in a sea of noise, bringing science and passion in equal measure. "Cal Newport offers the most well-informed and astute collection of practical advice I have seen for reclaiming one's mental powers.
Reviews
"Spend enough time in a state of frenetic shallowness and you permanently reduce your capacity to perform deep work. I build my days around a core of carefully chosen deep work, with the shallow activities I absolutely cannot avoid batched into smaller bursts at the peripheries of my schedule. Depth-destroying behaviors such as immediate e-mail responses and an active social media presence are lauded, while avoidance of these trends generates suspicion. …The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration. … the minimum unit of time for deep work in this philosophy tends to be at least one full day. To put aside a few hours in the morning, for example, is too short to count as a deep work stretch for an adherent of this approach. Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets… it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done. At the end of the workday, shut down your consideration of work issues until the next morning— no after-dinner e-mail check, no mental replays of conversations, and no scheming about how you’ll handle an upcoming challenge; shut down work thinking completely. If you need more time, then extend your workday, …trying to squeeze a little more work out of your evenings might reduce your effectiveness the next day enough that you end up getting less done than if you had instead respected a shutdown. 13. for a novice, somewhere around an hour a day of intense concentration seems to be a limit, while for experts this number can expand to as many as four hours— but rarely more. They initiate much larger parts of their brain that are irrelevant to the task at hand… they’re pretty much mental wrecks."
"Deep Work is the execution/tactical companion to Newport's last book, So Good They Can't Ignore You and it doesn't disappoint. -However, these are usually also things that you need to trade in your career capital (rare skills and experience using them) in order to maximize. So Good They Can't Ignore You doesn't spend much time explaining how to actually implement deep work (deliberate practice) into you life. It tells you to focus deeply, stretch yourself cognitively and get constant high quality feedback on your work/output. If you have already bought into the idea, you can skim this part, but I found the examples and people he featured to be very interesting so it's worth a read. Newport lays out an interesting theory for 3 types of workers, Superstars, Owners and High Skill Workers and makes a convincing and important argument for the importance in the future of being able to work at higher levels of abstraction and work with intelligent machines. Meaning is a key part of Newport's argument because the whole book links back to the Passion vs. Rare Skills debate…which is a better strategy for finding a job you love? Newport give 3 theories on why deep work is meaningful, a psychological, neurological and a philosophical reason. Rule 1 gives you a bunch of strategies and examples of how to integrate deep work into your schedule. The Grand Gestures part of this chapter is really good, you learn about Bill Gates Think Week and same famous authors who go to secluded islands or build cabins to get a lot of deep work done when necessary. Newport gives a number of strategies for doing two important things: improving your ability to focus and eliminating your desire for distraction. This rule isn't as strategic as the other ones, it's mostly about making a side argument that these networking sites aren't as important is you think they are."
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Best Dreams

The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions
The Divinity Code to Understanding your Dreams and Visions is a Bible-based guide to dream interpretation that reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Divinity Code to Understanding your Dreams and Visions contains: The most extensive Christian dream dictionary on the market (with Scripture support). "This is BY FAR the most thorough and exhaustive manual on dreams, visions, symbolism, and dream interpretaion that we have seen.
Reviews
"I really needed to read this book, I do need to re-read it to take more notes."
"This book will help you shed light on God's night language."
"The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions teaches us that men of God in the bible days were taught through dreams; and they held their dreams in high regard. The authors have included many dreams and also interpretations to those dreams. There is also an indepth Metaphor Dictionary where you can look up key components of your own dreams to find a likely meaning. These are presented with Bible references to support their meanings. The names of people and places are key in understanding our dreams and there is an awesome Dictionary included for that aspect as well."
"Awesome book."
"Great book."
"The authors remind you that to interpret scripture, use scripture within context."
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Best Fashion Craft

Shoes Page-A-Day Gallery Calendar 2018
Accessorize your desk with a year of fabulous footwear: the flash of red of a Louboutin pump, the sparkle of Miu Miu glitter hi-tops, the breathtaking hand-embroidery on a Valentino suede bootie. Workman Publishing Company has been producing award-winning calendars, cookbooks, parenting guides, and children’s titles, as well as gardening, humor, self-help, and business books, since 1968.
Reviews
"If you have a shoe addiction I'm sure you'll love this."
"This calendar on my desk makes my day as I change the date."
"For less than $3 it adds a little brightness to my boring work desk."
"If you love shoes this is the calendar for you."
"The stand that holds the calendar is truly unique and so clever!"
"This is a quality calendar and printed with high quality paper."
"I love this calendar."
"It is also great for learning about shoes from the past through present day shoes."
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Best Grooming & Style

Curly Girl: The Handbook
Created by curly hair evangelist Lorraine Massey—the go-to curl expert featured in Allure , InStyle , Lucky , Seventeen , and The New York Times ; owner of the Devachan salons in New York; and creator of a multimillion-dollar line of all-natural Devachan products— Curly Girl is the surprising bible for the 65 percent of women with naturally curly or wavy hair and a desire to celebrate it. Say no to shampoo, unplug the dryer, and find your inner curl. Celebrate the beauty of curls in a buoyant how-to, manifesto, and curly girl support group all in one.
Reviews
"There is more information than just that in the book, including recipes for home-made hair products and specifics for how to cut and colour curly hair, but that is the skeleton of her approach. Although the hair-cutting information is meant for stylists, when my hair was very long I used it to cut my own hair and gave myself the best haircut I've ever had. Most importantly, she has expanded her system of curl types from three (essentially waves, loose curls and tight curls) to seven different categories (S'wavy, Wavy, Cherub, Botticelli, Corkicelli, Corkscrew, and Fractal or Zizag) and has completely reworked the "African American hair" chapter from the first book (which revealed she had very little experience with black women's hair) to something much more satisfying. Although there is something for everyone, people with different hair types might be frustrated to not be more represented in the book. Similarly, folks who are not new to caring for curly hair might be frustrated that there isn't more information here - while this is great for beginners, there are lots of different techniques and perspectives which can be found on the Naturally Curly website, for example about dew points, hair porosity, hair care ingredients, and styling techniques like "plopping.""
"I can see how a lot of these tips work for other people, especially very curly hair. Navigating the curly hair products has been a lot easier after reading this book, and I think its a good resource for anyone who wants better curls."
"I bought this book on the recommendation of other stylists to learn to better care for the hair of my biracial clients."
"Some of the stories I really related to as I experienced situations similar during my own bad hair days."
"I have very curly hair and I never knew how to treat it."
"After reading the book, I found out that I've been using the wrong type of shampoo/conditioner/styling products. I even used her tips on cutting your own hair and I was surprised at how easy it was."
"Yes love, love,... its my go to book."
"My mom and dad had straight hair, so I really didn't have anyone growing up that had curly hair to help me take care of it. This book has helped me so much to understand why my hair does what it does and what my hair needs."
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Best Denmark Travel Guides

The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn’t Disneyland, but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries. -- Sandi Toksvig 'Russell is possessed of a razor-sharp wit and a winning self-deprecation - two of the things that make this book such a delight.'. * The Independent * 'A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land' -- PD Smith * Guardian * 'A wryly amusing account of a new life in a strange land.'. Helen Russell was a high-flying glossy magazine editor before moving to rural Jutland in Denmark which, despite its long dark winters, is also statistically the happiest nation on earth.
Reviews
"When her husband was offered the chance to move to Denmark and work for Lego, Russell went from initially skeptical to seriously intrigued once she learned that Denmark has routinely been named as the happiest country in the world. In this memoir, Russell captures the adventure of moving to a new country and setting up a new life, while providing lots of interesting insight into what might make Denmark such an ideal place to live in. The cast of characters that make up Russell and her husband’s social life in Denmark – like the neighbors Mr. Russell divides the book into 12 chapters (one per month for her first 12 months in Denmark), with each chapter having a loose focus on one of the aspects of society/culture/economics that may contribute to the country’s status as happiest on Earth. Russell could have written this book as a straight up guide to what life is like in Denmark, but I think her personal story and perspective really contributed to the narrative. Some of the studies cited by Russell about different aspects of life in Denmark sounded more rigorous or believable than others, and I wished I had the time to investigate them further – which was impossible because to her credit Russell mentions many different studies throughout the book."
"And this is A Good Thing.”. I wanted a light and fun, but deeply interesting read to bring on a summer trip, and this book turned out to be the perfect choice. It offered a pretty entertaining look at Danish culture and society, all through the lens of why they continually rank among the highest countries in terms of happiness. After a while you get the formula of each chapter: an anecdote, a few statistics, an interview with a randomly found “expert,” and the constant questioning of various Danes about how happy they are on a scale of 1 to 10."
"And mostly, the Danish way of life this book reveals is just refreshing."
"You can feel the author’s joy about her experience flow from the pages as you vicariously experience her year in Denmark."
"It's currently the holidays and my place is trashed, but I know my next cleanup will be with Danish style in mind."
"As a freelance journalist and her husband decide to move to Denmark for a year, she decides to find out why the Danish people are listed as having the highest ratings for happiness in their lives."
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